Zoho fast-tracks end-to-end encryption for Arattai; Amit Shah latest to endorse platform

Zoho Corp founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu on Wednesday said the company has advanced the rollout of end-to-end encryption for its messaging app Arattai, as part of efforts to strengthen user privacy and trust.

In a post on X, Vembu said the feature, which was initially scheduled for release in November, is now being fast-tracked.

“End-to-end encryption keeps that data on the device only (no cloud storage, unless a backup is specified). So it is actually easier on our servers and lowers our cost to serve users,” he said.

Vembu explained that Arattai, which originated from Zoho’s enterprise messaging platform Cliq, is being redesigned to eliminate cloud-based data storage to enhance privacy.

“We are actually turning off that cloud storage in Arattai to offer end-to-end encrypted chat. That is in testing right now,” he said, adding that Zoho’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business rests on user trust rather than monetising data.

“Our entire SaaS business is based on the trust that we DO NOT access customer data and we do not use it for selling stuff to them. End-to-end encryption is a technical feature and that is coming. Trust is far more precious and we are earning that trust daily in the global market,” Vembu wrote.

The announcement comes as Arattai, launched in 2021, witnesses a surge in downloads and growing popularity as a secure, homegrown alternative to WhatsApp.

The app has crossed 7.5 million downloads as of Friday.

The platform’s rising traction has also been bolstered by endorsements from top government officials and industry leaders.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that he had switched to Zoho Mail, sharing his new address publicly on X. “I have switched to Zoho Mail… For future correspondence via mail, kindly use this address,” he wrote.

Vembu thanked Shah for his faith in the company and said, “I dedicate this moment to our hard working engineers who have toiled hard in Zoho for over 20 years. They all stayed in India and worked all these years because they believed. Their faith is vindicated.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier said he had adopted Zoho’s productivity tools for official work, while Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday said he and his team had moved to Arattai.

Industrialist Anand Mahindra also joined in, saying he had downloaded Arattai “with pride” and wished the Tamil Nadu-based company success.